For years, a lot of libertarians and paleoconservatives have focused a lot of attention on the Federal Reserve. Some have gone overboard, blaming the Fed on virtually every lost freedom in America. Others have focused too hard at the wrong time; I remember one person speaking at a gun show looking pretty foolish because he was talking about Fed issues while everyone in the audience was concerned about the upcoming passage of Clinton’s Assault Weapons Ban.

On the other side of the coin, our recent economic situation has raised a lot of issues about the role of the Federal Reserve, what alternatives there are to it, and how the system really works in practice. Ron Paul supporters are particularly well-versed on these issues and the general public is becoming more interested in them, as well.

On February 26, Ron Paul introduced legislation to audit “the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks” before the end of 2010. While bills introduced by Paul are often disregarded by the rest of Congress, this one is starting to show some legs. According to Paul’s website, the bill now has 71 co-sponsors.

I’ve taken a lot of heat over the years for trying to protectthemovement from being disregarded by mainstream Americans because of our internal kook factors. When Ron Paul can obtain 71 sponsors for a bill, it’s time for hesitant libertarians to jump on board the Federal Reserve bandwagon. You might start by contacting your Representative today.

UPDATE: Just received the following on Twitter:

If you don’t think the Federal Reserve issue is too arcane, then I’m up for it! Heard it for a while-can’t pretend I understand it. Freedom!

Our local (Birmingham) Tea Party is already blasting out the e-mails. While ours was one of the larger ones, it certainly wasn’t one of the co-opted ones.

http://gordonunleashed.com/blog/ Stephen Gordon

Chris, this does raise an issue about timeliness, though.

We are now at a point where an audit might actually get voted upon. In the normal scheme of things, people investigate, analyze results, then come to conclusions.

The time End the Fed rallies will be more politically effective is after audit results have been produced, should they indicate that such a measure is reasonable.

Education is very important — but so is making the country a freer place. These go hand in hand — with education leading. I’m hoping that libertarians can learn the the difference between education and politics.

http://www.simplifylunch.com Jeff Molby

The time End the Fed rallies will be more politically effective is after audit results have been produced, should they indicate that such a measure is reasonable.

QFT

Chrisfrmchi

I do agree they would be more powerful after an actual vote.

However the message should be said and said early and a lot. Kinda along the lines of “Change we can believe in”

Having these rallies and protests and people preaching the End the Fed message will bring more attention to the Audit Vote and once that is completed we can move to next stage while keeping same message.

or am I missing something?

http://www.simplifylunch.com Jeff Molby

You’re definitely right about repetition, but conditions have to be right first. If you’re constantly vocal about something that mainstreamers don’t care about, they’ll affix a label to you and ignore you completely. Even if they ever come to share your view, you’ll still lack credibility because in their eyes, you’re nothing more than a broken clock that’s bound to be right twice a day.

That’s why Stephen draws a distinction between education and politics. It’s important to constantly educate but you have to do it in a calm way so you don’t come off as Chicken Little.

When it comes to political manuevering, though, you have to pick your spots. Play the exact right note at the exact right time.

In this particular case, “auditing the Fed” is gaining a rare amount of momentum. People are pissed about the economy and they know the Fed plays an integral role. They’re probably surprised that the Fed isn’t subject to audits and most will naturally support an audit, especially with a President that has preached transparency.

So that’s a very easy sell. “Ending the Fed”, on the other hand, is a very tough sell. Most people don’t know jack about the Fed but they know the Fed has been around for their entire lives and they’ve known some pretty good economic times. You have to dig through some serious nitty gritty to show them that we’ve had good times in spite of the Fed, not because of it.

So for the time being, it would make sense to change the message to “audit the Fed” because that’s politically possible in the current climate. If/when the audit turns up incriminating evidence, you start ratcheting up the pressure.

Chrisfrmchi

In a very adult and mature way you are right, I can’t argue that auditing isn’t the best way to go and should have been the original message.

However.
We are already being stereotyped by Mainstream.
There is already a movement called End The Fed, it has some organization.

Its difficult in my mind to organize this protest to change the message to Audit rather than End at this time now, Its Too Late. I can see that you can bundle the two in the greater End Movement much easier. Damn the Mainstream, I believe in a years time these protests will be huge and they will not be able to say that about you anymore.

There is a very scary phenomenon in this Country right now. You would need to explain to people what “audit” means, and in that lengthy wordy response they are lost to the hope of Obama.
And in that Auditing movement can be co-op like how Fox News took over the Tea Parties. They did that on purpose…

End the Fed is much more catchy name, centers it directly at the footsteps of the criminals who are the problem without holding back. It the attention getter that will get more people to ask about it and once they are interested they will support the audit and all further actions.

I’m look at it strategically and don’t think we have a lot of time until the summer time hits and the next shoe drops (which i think we all think it will).

http://gordonunleashed.com/blog/ Stephen Gordon

Chris,

I intend to write an article about this some day.

There is tactics and there is strategery. Other folks have to learn the distinctions between the two.

http://www.simplifylunch.com Jeff Molby

You’re right that it’s too late to make a wholesale change in time for this weekend’s protests*, but you can still lay the groundwork. Mix in some auditing signs, say things like “I think we should end the fed, but we at least need to audit the thing. Get some sort of oversight, check & balances” etc. Make it a 1-2 punch.

*Organizers should have been having these conversations a couple weeks ago when it became clear the RP had some momentum behind his bill

It the attention getter that will get more people to ask about it and once they are interested they will support the audit and all further actions.

You have to do what you feel is right, so I’ll just say one more thing and then wish you the best.
– Most people believe there’s an economically sound reason that the whole world went off the gold standard. They don’t know what it is, but they don’t care because they figure they wouldn’t understand it anyways.
– Most people believe that the Fed has been an integral part of our growth into an economic powerhouse. They see gold as a step backward.

Now there’s a small minority of people like us that are willing to constantly question beliefs like that, but you can’t accomplish a darn thing politically without at least the tacit support of mainstream America. You need a colossal propaganda machine to meet the burden of proof necessary to reverse such an entrenched status quo. You don’t have one and you underestimate the burden at your own peril.

Having said that, I do wish you luck. If you decide not to take my advice, I hope you’re able to prove me wrong.

Pick up your taser rifles and weapons and order, coerce, pressure and make sure your congress critters get on board the Federal Reserve official audit.

We’ve lost alot of freedoms due to the Federal Reserve. Unfortunately Iran Contra, the Israel Lobby AIPAC, the Egypt Lobby and other official criminals & traitors are a part of the Federal Reserve blackmail operation.

Its the ISSUE not party! I haven’t become a libertarian party member because it seems like I am watching ‘The Life of Brian’, and all of you are arguing over whether to call yourselves ‘the judean peoples front’ or ‘the peoples front of judea’. Get a grip, get off of your butt, and lets ALL as ‘We the People’ go make some noise! This is a worthy cause. The more noise that is made NOW, the better the chance there is for the FIRST step to be completed!

http://WWW.PERSNICKETYCURMUDGEON.COM PERSNICKETY CURMUDGEON

Dan this is one of my favorite sites. Good writing and debate but YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!! ROFL.

Terry Conspiracy

The challenge is giving the public enough factual information to understand what is at stake here.

The American public is “not” aware that the Federal Reserve is a privately owned banking consortium that is “not” a actual branch of the federal government. It is in fact, a privately owned & privately operated, private banking business. Just like the Bank of England.

The public is “not” aware that the controlling interest share holders of the Federal Reserve system are “not” even Americans citizens.

The controlling interest powers in the Federal Reserve system are in fact, owned by the same family that has owned the controlling interest in the Bank of England since the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

The owners of the controlling interests in the Bank of England, the Federal Reserve, & virtually all of the World’s other centralized banking systems, have always been in the hands of the same family for generations.

I am talking about the richest family in the World by far. They are so rich, that they do not even make the list of the known World billionaires, because their estimated wealth is not calculated in billions. It is actually calculated to be in the hundreds of Trillions.

The name of this powerful & secretive family ?

“Rothschild”.

This information, like so much of what is important, is kept from the general public because the corporate monopolies that are known to control the MSM (Main Stream Media) are under their total control as well.

The Info Wars are real. Do your own research & share what you discover with those around you for real change.

Terry – are you sure the “public doesnt know” or is that they know and don’t care??? It may even be that they do know and don’t think it’s problem.

Most likely the people know but haven’t thought thru the implications of the intricacies of the Federal Reserve System or it’s impact on their lives.

Eliminate the Fed but also stophe governments ability to borrow money and finance it’s debt. And come ui with a positvie constructive alternative before we do.

http://WWW.PERSNICKETYCURMUDGEON.COM PERSNICKETY CURMUDGEON

Terry – are you sure the “public doesnt know” or is that they know and don’t care??? It may even be that they do know and don’t think it’s problem.

Most likely the people know but haven’t thought thru the implications of the intricacies of the Federal Reserve System or it’s impact on their lives.

Eliminate the Fed but also stopthe governments ability to borrow money and finance it’s debt. And come ui with a positvie constructive alternative before we do.

oilnwater

it sounds like a conspiracy… because it is. the only difference is that it’s now a very lazy, open careless conspiracy that no one wants to address because frankly most people are both stupid and lazy.

then, you have the time-tested obvious controlled opposition screaming “It’s the Jews” and whatnot. even that, though, is now so obvious to people aware about the world that it’s comical. but to the general public? it still works as intended to discredit the completely legitimate opposition to this domination of the world population.

i’ve resigned myself not to trust the general public in entering a non-retarded state of consciousness and finally taking this syndicate down. every time the possibility faintly comes into view, it’s taken down almost effortlessly by a thin veneer of media spin, like the RP 2008 campaign for example. these days i just pretend to care about the dumbest things in life like everyone else seems to do and i get by fine.

scineram

To paraphrase Jeff Hummel, the Federal Reserve is not a private organization, but I wish it were.